From Corsican Sunrises to Deep Space: PETRU KSS Charts a Live Techno Voyage on 'Kolibri Live' LP

For London-based techno artist PETRU KSS, the journey behind Kolibri Live LP begins far from any club booth. Instead, it starts before dawn on a remote Corsican hillside, hauling synthesizers through darkness, racing the sunrise and trusting that the machines will cooperate once the music begins.

The album is the latest chapter in PETRU’s growing “Kolibri” universe: a sci-fi-tinged techno mythology built around a spacecraft drifting through space. But the paradox at the heart of Kolibri Live LP is that while its narrative reaches toward distant galaxies, its origins are intensely physical, shaped by landscape, endurance and the unpredictability of live performance.

“The spot where I recorded the album isn't easy to access, but it’s special to me and has a panoramic 360 view,” PETRU explains. “It’s surrounded by nature, at the back there’s a valley framed by mountains, on the left a beach with turquoise water and the sun rises just in front, from the sea. The site itself is the ruins of a tower.”

The location had been part of his life for years. “A friend and I discovered it around 10 years ago and I’ve returned many times since,” he says. Recording there, however, required a ritual closer to expedition than studio session. “I prepared my equipment the night before, slept a few hours, drove an hour, and hiked for 45 minutes in pitch black,” he recalls. “I set up everything just before sunrise and performed — without much of a safety net.”

As the sun climbed, so did the intensity of the environment. “The sun rose quickly, and the heat made it feel like an oven already. The set lasted a bit over an hour,” he says. “But I did stop for a second now and then to look at my surroundings, smiling to myself and thinking how lucky and free I was.”

For PETRU, that sense of freedom is essential to his creative process. “Being able to record anywhere gave me such a strong feeling of freedom,” he says. “Playing live is a thrill. I’m not looking for shortcuts — I enjoy the full experience. This is the foundation of my music and how I try to be as authentic as possible.”

Unlike many studio albums, Kolibri Live LP is built entirely from a single improvised live set. That approach brings a level of unpredictability that PETRU actively embraces. “The nature of a live-set means there are many moving parts,” he says. “You might hike with all your gear, survive on very little sleep, deal with adrenaline and distractions… and then simply forget to press record.”

Even before the performance begins, risk is already part of the process. “The ‘risk’ actually starts before flying, at the packing stage, you don’t want to forget this unique cable or power unit.”

Once the machines start running, things can get even more unpredictable. “With analogue gear, it’s easy to push a knob too far and get a texture that wasn’t intended,” he says. “But that’s the opportunity to exploit an unexpected resonance or harmonic.”

And if something goes wrong mid-set?

“When something malfunctions, you’ve got to perform anyway,” he says. “After you’ve done all this, would you stop because of a technical issue? No way. This is your moment.”

That mentality is central to PETRU’s live philosophy: turning chaos into creativity.

“This need for urgency influenced my set,” he says. “It made me feel authentic, more human, real and alive.”

Improvisation is only the first step. After the live session, PETRU reshaped the performance into individual tracks suitable for DJs and streaming platforms. “Releasing music comes with a purpose,” he explains. “If DJs are going to play it, it’s great to include an intro and outro per track, which does not necessarily exist on your improvised jam.”

Using Ableton as the central hub for his hardware rig, he records both the stereo performance and multitrack stems. “The rawness comes from the performance,” he says. “The quality comes from a mixing and mastering pass in the studio.”

To elevate the album’s sonic detail, PETRU enlisted renowned producer and engineer Hannes Bieger for the mixdown, with mastering by Calyx. “I wanted the absolute best for Kolibri Live LP,” he says. “Hannes brought the mix to another level, the album gained precision and a nicer stereo image without changing the DNA.”

PETRU often describes his music as narrative-driven, a concept rooted in both science fiction and personal introspection. “My body of work can be split into five or six different journeys, all happening within or around the Kolibri Space Shuttle,” he explains.

Some series explore darker psychological territory. “The NSTNKT series is about the mind and struggle of being alone in space,” he says. “It’s raw, hypnotic and dark techno.”

Others explore more hopeful tones. “The KOLIBRI series represents the constellations and magnificent space objects that can be observed through space,” he says. “A great friend once told me, ‘Petru, do you know what your music is about? It’s about hope.’ Listening back, I think he’s not totally wrong.”

On Kolibri Live LP, those ideas unfold across a continuous narrative arc.

“The journey begins with grounded earthly textures and accelerates into the weightless atmosphere of deep space,” he says. “It starts with Genesis and Ketarion, representing ignition and a confident cruise into the unknown.”

From there, the story moves through tension, reflection, and darkness before reaching resolution. “Tracks like Trieuoppa and Capsule reflect memories or loneliness observing constellations through a cockpit window,” he says. “The story increases in intensity until settling with Landing on a planet with mesmerising landscapes.”

Still, PETRU encourages listeners to bring their own interpretation. “I wouldn’t mind people coming with their own interpretation,” he says.

In an era where AI-generated music is rapidly proliferating, PETRU sees his live-recorded album as something of a counter-statement. “This album is definitely a manifesto asserting that human risk, imperfection and imagination are vital components at the heart of art,” he says.

For him, the unpredictability of hardware performance is not a flaw but the entire point. “The power of a live act lies in its unrepeatability,” he says. “Because I’m improvising and reacting to the machines in the moment, it’s impossible to recreate the exact same performance twice.”

That belief is also reflected in his academic work. Alongside his career as a producer and performer, PETRU is currently completing a PhD in electronic music, researching hardware-based improvisation. “My PhD and my musical intuition operate as a continuous feedback loop,” he explains. “Research provides a framework for a creative process that used to be a black box of pure instinct.”

His project, titled THRiPPS (Techno Hardware-centric Real-time Improvisation, Production and Performance Study), investigates the role of human imperfection in live electronic music. “Instead of seeing a drifting pitch or faulty knob as a mistake, the research has taught me to treat them as creative partners,” he says.

Despite its cinematic scope, Kolibri Live LP is ultimately designed with the dance floor in mind. “I conceptualised the album to exist in three worlds,” PETRU explains. “As a continuous immersive live set, as standalone tracks for the dance floor, and as shorter versions for radio and streaming.”

When played in a club or festival, the goal is simple. “I want ravers to feel overwhelmed and surrounded by the sound,” he says. “A sort of ultimate frequent flyer program, no passport required. People would be closing their eyes and cruising through distant galaxies while they dance their asses off.”

With Kolibri Live LP now launched in three parts on Beatport, PETRU’s spacecraft isn’t slowing down anytime soon. A packed touring schedule and an expanding remix project, featuring artists like Dubfire, Saytek, Ryan Davis and Vril will continue to push the universe outward.

Beyond that, the next milestone is academic. “The next major milestone is completing my PhD,” he says. “Then there’s already another album in progress and several EPs in the works.”

For an artist whose work bridges wilderness, machines, and imagination, the trajectory feels fitting. “The creative life is a blessing,” PETRU says. “And I’m grateful to bring people onto the Space Shuttle.”

PETRU KSS – Kolibri Live is available now. Get it on Beatport.

Read the full interview on The Night Bazaar website HERE.